I spent most of yesterday at Willow Springs Raceway as part of our second Edmunds Consumer Comparison Test: Economy Cars.

If you saw my earlier post you already know that we wanted to pit the leading (by both sales and editorial opinion) economy sedans against each other, but beyond picking the entrants and organizing the test session we would offer no guidance on which car we like the best.

Six consumers performed each of the evaluations on the economy sedans. The excercises including a city driving loop, a highway loop, acceleration, braking and handling tests, plus a static evaluation where they could test cargo capacity, examine interior features and generally go over each car with a fine tooth comb.

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Inside Line just published an excellent test comparing a Crossover vs. a Minivan vs. an SUV. When you think about it, these vehicles really just represent a history of the family vehicle (though we left the wagon out). When minivans first arrived they were seen as super functional (and super cool) alternatives to the stodgy old station wagon that could carry the family around. Then came the SUV, which was seen as a way to carry the family around while looking like a rugged outdoorsman. Then came the crossover, which was seen as a way to carry the family around while looking like a rugged outdoorsman without having the ride/handling characteristics that felt like a rugged outdoorsman's vehicle.

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If you saw our Consumer Comparison Test last December you know how well it worked out in terms of getting real-world feedback from real-world buyers. We pitted the all-new 2008 Chevrolet Malibu and Honda Accord against the new-for-2007 Toyota Camry. Our six consumer test drivers split on their first choices, with three picking the Malibu and three picking the Accord as their favorite models.

With the positive feedback that test generated we're now pondering a follow-up comparison, but we're not yet locked in on which segment to feature.

Considering the "real-world" nature of this content it makes sense to ask you guys from some direction here. So here goes: What segment/vehicles would you like to see featured in a consumer-scored comparison test? Here are some of the ideas we've come up with:

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The first round of 2008 North American Car and Truck of the Year votes are in...

Car Finalists:

   1. Cadillac CTS                   2. Chevrolet Malibu                3. Honda Accord

Truck Finalists:

     1. Buick Enclave             2. Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid          3. Mazda CX-9

The final winnners will be announced the morning of January 13th as part of the kickoff for the 2008 North American International Auto Show (also known as the Detroit Auto Show). I just sent my second-round ballot in, so my part in voting for the car and truck winners is over. I won't know the results before that January 13th announcement, though obviously I know who I voted for.

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If you've been watching either the Straightline blog or the Strategies blog you've already heard about our Consumer Comparison Test pitting the Chevrolet Malibu, Honda Accord and Toyota Camry against each other. Feel free to predict the finishing order of this comparison test (that's what they're doing over at Straightline) but this post will be focusing on a different aspect of the event.

Not to put too fine a point on it, but this is HUGE. It's not huge because it involved letting consumers drive three competing models and provide feedback. We've seen that in various "buff books" ad campaigns for a couple years now, not to mention recent television commercials and radio spots. No, what makes this huge is the fact that no manufacturer was involved in the testing process. 

Every previous "consumer" test I've seen has always been backed by a specific manufacturer. The buff book campaigns I just mentioned involved the Cadillac CTS and Jaguar X-Type -- with associated ad pages and tiny "advertisement" text on those pages (Ugh! -- I felt dirty just quickly thumbing past them). The recent television/radio ads we've likely all seen or heard involves Ford's "Swap My Ride" effort to show that the Fusion and Edge are "better" than the Camry and Highlander. Any guess as to which vehicles fared well in those tests?

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If you've driven a Nissan Altima sedan you already know how surprisingly sporty this "family sedan" is. Short of having an available V8 and rear-wheel drive this model is as close to a muscle car as you can get...except for the Charger/300 and G8, which do have V8s and rear-wheel drive.

Regardless, I still consider the Nissan Altima "the great upsetter" ever since the redesign in 2002. I remember the 2001 New York Auto Show when it debuted, and the level of concern on the Honda and Toyota execs faces was undeniable. Suddenly the Altima wasn't an oddly-sized, bottom tier Japanese sedan, it was a real player with more interior space, horsepower and handling potential than the two titans of the category. The car's first redesign since that paradigm-shifting 2002 model was last year, and for 2008 an all-new Altima coupe hits with all the tradiitional Nissan character traits.

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A couple years ago I posed the question: "Isn't 'crossover' just a PR-friendly term for 'compromise'?" It's not that I'm against the crossover movment, but I like reminding potential buyers that -- depending on their needs -- there's probably another vehicle that will serve them better.

I consider the 2008 Mazda CX-9 one of the best crossovers currently on the market. It's plenty quick enough (especially with the new 3.7-liter, 273 horsepower V6), it handles better than a 4,500-pound vehicle should, and the seat comfort (at least in the first two rows) is on par with the best minivans. Basically, if you want maximum people toting capacity and maximum sportiness for less than $40,000 this is easily your best option. And as my recent "What Makes a Great Car Great?" post stated, being quite capable at more than one thing is what determines "greatness" in a vehicle.

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I've said it before and I'll say it again: Honda is the BMW of Japan. Okay...well, maybe Mazda is the BMW of Japan, too. But between those two brands I'd ultimately give Honda the title, if only by a license-plate frame. See, there's a reassuring heft to BMW vehicles. It's not an overt heaviness (like Mercedes-Benz, or Toyota), but a subtle, confidence-inspiring heft that Mazda still hasn't mastered (even if Mazdas are more sporty, on average, than the comparable Honda).

Tug on the door handle, turn the steering wheel, row the shifter (along with a dozen-plus other actions) and you'll feel this suplime heft in every Honda vehicle. With cars as good as they are in 2007, these subtle nuances are all that's left to define a brand, and I continue to like the definition of Honda, particularly in this new Accord Coupe.

What makes a great car great?

That's a topic that's been debated for over a century -- probably from the moment the first car was created. And it would be easy to get caught up in a multitude of features and traits when discussing the topic. But I've come to realize there are basically two overriding characteristics of a great car.

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Finally got some time behind the all-new, 2008 Honda Accord. Plenty of controversy surrounds this redesign, as the most obvious change is a substantial bump in size. It's a couple inches longer, with a few more inches of wheelbase, and it's even an inch taller. Does this mean we must now refer to it as the Honda Avalon?

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